The midpoint of Better Call Saul's first season hinges on scenes without Jimmy

March 3, 2015 3:54 PM

13
0

There have been very few scenes in Better Call Saul without Bob Odenkirk. I can recall a scene between Howard and Kim at Hamlin, Hamlin, & McGill, but that mostly concerned Jimmy and the billboard situation. There’s the scene with Tuco, his grandmother, and the two skater morons—but that was a brief moment without Jimmy in a timeline that always included him. And last week’s episode ended with Chuck stealing his elderly neighbor’s newspaper, but that’s more of a continuation of a previous scene, and it’s also because Chuck fears there’s something in it about Jimmy. This all makes sense for a show built around its star and ostensibly telling the story of how the slimy lawyer from Breaking Bad became the go-to criminal lawyer. But James McGill/Saul Goodman isn't the only story worth elucidating in this part of the timeline.

“Alpine Shepherd Boy” begins, much like second episode “Mijo,” with a scene carved out of Jimmy’s story that he triggers, but isn’t around for. But the episode ends with the first scenes that truly do not involve Jimmy, and simply have nothing to do with him in the moment. This is the midpoint of th...